Bathing suit



A. M. HANSEN BATHING SUIT Nov. 23, 1937.

Filed July 2, 1936 TORNEY Patented Nov. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 2, 1936, Serial No. 88,555 In Denmark August 30, 1935 3 Claims.

This invention relates to bathing suits and more particularly to suits for feminine wear in which the shoulder straps are eliminated and the garment constructed so it will maintain its po- 5 sition on the body of the wearer.

So the neck, arms, and shoulders of the wearer may acquire a uniform tan and for the purpose of providing a comfortable garment, non-restrictive to the movements of the wearer, the invention seeks to provide a bathing suit, preferably formed of a knitted material, which is provided with an elastic band portion encircling the body immediately above the breast and with a similar band portion encircling the waist of the garment,

said bands being designed to hug the body at these points and to yield to the natural movements thereof without becoming displaced.

The invention further seeks to provide a garment as above described which, though out to various standard sizes, will also comfortably fit wearers of these sizes whose bust measurements vary considerably.

While certain feminine garment have been constructed sans shoulder straps and also with straps designed to be tied around the upper portion of the body, the construction of a suit as herein disclosed, has not been contemplated. The invention, as at present conceived, resides in the preferred garment structures as illustrated in the accompanying drawing which are described in the following specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a bathing suit incorporating the contemplated structural 35 features.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of an alternate form of construction.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the upper portion of still 40 another form.

The garment generally comprises an upper body portion 5 and a lower trunk portion 6. The latter is of usual design having no bearing in this case except in its relation to the body portion.

45 It is preferred to terminate the garment, at its top, along a substantially straight line between the armpits and breasts of the wearer although this line may be modified in shape to suit the desires of the designer.

5 At this upper edge of the garment there is provided an elastic band, or tape which may comprise the material of the suit itself if it is knitted in an elastic manner, but preferably comprises a knitted tubular channel 8 enclosing a rubber,

55 web-elastic, or lastex band 9. The latter is preferred because of its ability to withstand the deleterious effects of water and the sun.

A similar tubular channel III is provided at the Waist of the garment, said channel incorporating elastic means as above described.

Between these two channel bands, the garment is formed with a front portion I l extending along both sides and terminating along the lines I2 to leave the back open between the bands 8 and H] as at I3. 10

It will be noted from Figures 2 and 3 that the lines I2 assume a curved condition when worn, said curvature being variable depending upon the bust size of the wearer. It is, therefore, apparent that the garment will automatically adjust 15 itself to any particular wearer Within a certain size range, hugging the lines of the body to afford the fit so much desired.

To further insure a good fit around the breasts of the wearer, the front II is cut as on the lines 20 M and sewed with an overlooking stitch to allow stretch. These form-fitting lines together with the bands 8 and Ill insure a good fit of the garment over the chest, bust and abdomen.

The bands 3 and I0 may each, either be pro- 25 vided with free ends adapted to be held together as by the means l5 which may be adjustable if desired, (Figure 2), or, as is perhaps preferred, be entirely continuous across the back as shown in Figure 3. 30

The trunks 6 may be integrally formed or otherwise secured to the body portion and in the present instance, it is preferred to leave the opening it at the back below the band [0 so said band may freely assume its position on the body without causing puckering of adjacent portions of the trunks.

As shown in Figure 4, the elastic bands may be crossed at the back, as shown at I1, so that in effect only one band is provided having portions extending across the body above and below the bust.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that a bathing suit has been provided which is of novel design and construction and which need not be cut for accurate fit, but will, because of its peculiar design, accurately fit any person within the size range of the garment. The present disclosure, while preferred, maybe varied in detail by skilled persons without departing from the principles of the invention as hereinafter claimed. Hence, these claims should be qualified only by the prior art.

I claim:

,1. A shoulder-strapless bathing suit or the like having an upper portion and a lowerportion, an upper resilient band along the top edge ofthe upper portion, an intermediate resilient band at the waist of the suit, said bands being adapted to completely encircle the body of a wearer, and

' a bust covering area between said bands, said area having lateral edges terminating along the sides of the garment.

2. A shoulder-strapless bathing suit or the like comprising an upper portion and a trunks portion, an elastic band between said portions, another similar band along the upper edge of the upper portion, said bands being the sole supportingimeans for the upper portion,'said suit being formed with an open area between said bands at the rear thereof, and with an open area between the lower band and adjacent portions of the wearer and serve as the sole supporting means of the upper portion, a bust-covering area between said bands, said area having lateral edges terminating along the sides of the garment, and

a pair of trunks constituting the lower portion' extending from and below the waistband.

-ARNOLD MOGENS HANSEN; 

